Planners consider rezoning requests

Rezoning requests for properties in Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet topped the agenda for Georgetown County planners on Thursday.

The Planning Commission voted to recommended approval of a rezoning request received from Cynthia Murray as agent for Samuel Nesbitt, Clifford Nesbitt, Bruce Drayton and Brandon Drayton.

The request is to rezone two parcels and a portion of a third parcel located on the west side of Ocean Highway 17, approximately 240 feet north of Martin Luther King Road in Pawleys Island from General Residential (GR) to Neighborhood Commercial (NC).

The Enclave Planned Development is located to the southeast across Ocean Highway and properties located to the east of Ocean Highway straight across from the properties proposed for rezoning are zoned General Commercial. Sam’s Corner and a Shell gas station are also located in this area.

If approved, future use of the property will be required to comply with all zoning regulations that pertain to the Neighborhood Commercial district.

The properties will have to be reconfigured to obtain needed size, 10,000 square foot minimum and to accommodate the 90 foot front setback from Highway 17, according to Planning staff.

A level 3 buffer will be required along the northern property line due to adjacent residential uses if commercial development takes place.

Some nearby property owners are opposed to the zoning change.

Dan and Jane Adams, owners of lot 8 in the Enclave, said they strongly object to rezoning this parcel from General Residential to Neighborhood Commercial in a written statement.

“We believe that this rezoning has the potential to further negatively affect the property values of the Enclave,” Dan Adams wrote.

“Already there is a mini warehouse on the south of LBJ just yards away. This, to many, is the “entrance” to Pawleys Island (note the big blue welcoming sign on the west side of Highway 17 near the MLK intersection). Is this the first impression we want to create for our community? Pawleys Island is a brand. As brand stewards, we implore our decision makers to protect the integrity of this brand and continue to make Pawleys a special place.”

John Howe, a homeowner in the Enclave which is across Highway 17 from the property, is also against this rezoning.

“I feel that storage unit business locations degrade the value of adjacent residential properties,” Howe said in a written statement.

“If I had known that this adjacent property would be rezoned to neighborhood commercial after I had purchased my property, I would not have bought the property. The other Enclave property owners hold the same opinion.”

Murrells Inlet

The Planning Commission deferred a request from Dwayne Vernon, as agent for DLI, Incorporated, to rezone approximately 3.07 acres on the southwest side of Pendergrass Avenue, approximately 325 feet west of Highway 17 Bypass in Murrells Inlet from One-half Acre Residential (R1/2 AC) and General Commercial (GC) to Resort Services (RS).

Staff recommended the request be denied because “the FLU map does not support the request. Several uses in RS such as ice plants and cabinet shops could be detrimental to the neighborhood,” staff reported.

The Planning Commission voted to approve a request from Steve Strickland with Earthworks as agent for Inlet Boys, LLC to rezone a total of 2.37 acres located on the south side of Tupelo Road, 207.9 feet east of Berkeley Court in Murrells Inlet from Forest and Agriculture (FA) to One Half Acre Residential (R 1/2).

The tract contains two parcels. The eastern most parcel is rectangular in shape and contains 1.05 acres.

The parcel to the west is a flag-shaped lot containing a total of 5.54 acres.

Only the first 1.32 acres of this parcel are proposed for rezoning to R 1/2 AC.

Strickland stated that he would certainly comply with Georgetown County regulations to make sure that no one is negatively affected by the rezoning.

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